Real Life Dinners (Book Review)

Author Rachel Hollis sets one bar for her family meals-that they are "made with love" by this Mom of four.  Her recipes are simple yet made with whole foods and wholesome ingredients.  Rachel displays a desire to share with the people she cares most about-her husband and children.  She knows that memories often occur around food.

Planning a variety of dinners for the week with this book is easy.  Rachel includes a nice variety of proteins to choose from.  There's seafood, poultry and eggs:

 Foil Wrapped Fish

Lemon Pesto Chicken

 Twice Baked Potatoes with Eggs

Vegetables surround the protein.  The foil wrapped fish has corn and potatoes.  The lemon pesto chicken includes green beans and covered with pesto (mine is spinach pesto).  The recipes includes sides of vegetables, as in the Lemon Grilled Zucchini in the photo above.

Rachel mixes the vegetables and fruit in with some entrees.

 Meatloaf Meatballs

 Turkey Burgers

The meatballs has carrots and zucchini mixed with the ground beef.  The turkey burgers has a tasty mix of apple and mango with the ground poultry.

Cauliflower Stir Fry

The vegetarian meals include the addition of nuts.

Dried beans are included in several dishes, like in the Enchilada Soup.

There are some whole grains, as in the corn tortillas on the soup.  Quinoa, brown rice, whole grain tortilla are specified in a few recipes.

Rachel includes one page of her spice mix recipes that are she uses in many recipes.  

This Chili Rubbed Salmon is covered with the "Fiesta Blend" made with lemon zest, cumin, onion and garlic powders.

I particularly enjoyed the "breakfast for dinner" chapter and the section on table manners.  ("Napkins on the lap are required").

As the busy working professional, she uses some pre-made condiments, as in the pesto and chutney.  While some recipes can be made ahead, the recipes can be put together in 30 minutes or less.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the complimentary review copy.  The above post and pictures are my own.  I received no other compensation for this review, other than the pleasure of creating meals and eating!

About Rachel Hollis’s new cookbook REAL LIFE DINNERS: Fun, Fresh, Fast Dinners from the Creator of The Chic Site (St. Martin’s Press; June 5, 2018):

 

Rachel is a mom of four, creator of The Chic Site, author and wife. Dinner has always played a pivotal role in Rachel's life while growing up and today, she loves to cook. But real life and real life commitments can often get in the way and cooking dinner can’t take hours.

 

Real life means there may not be the time to marinate or prep a day in advance, but that’s okay! That doesn't mean she and her family, or you and yours, can't enjoy wholesome, delicious and healthy meals.

 

In REAL LIFE DINNERS, Rachel takes readers inside her kitchen showcasing the fun, fresh and fast recipes she cooks for her family. Featuring over 80 recipes and photos, including: 

·         Breakfast Quesadillas

·         Toast Nine Ways

·         Freeze-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches

·         Taco Tuesday

·         Crispy Sweet Potato Bake

·         Lemon-Pesto Chicken

·         Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

·         Rach's Spice Blends